Refrigerator



Nov. 24, 1936. L MERRILL l 2,062,139

REFRIGERATOR i Filed Jan. '6, 1936 y l HARHYL, MERRILL "96 l ToR/V Patented Nov. 24, 1'936 UNITED STATES PATE-NT OFFICE REFRIGERATOB. nan-y L. Merrill, Nashua, N. n. Application January 6, 1936, Serial No. 57,674

f 6 claims.

My invention relates to refrigerators, and particularly to improvements in refrigerators of the front icing type in which the cold air from the ice compartment flows downwardly into the 5 storage compartment through a centrally disposed opening in the bottom of the partition which subdivides the interior of .the refrigerator I into said compartments. At the present time a great quantity of the ice sold, at least in the cities,

l is manufactured in cakes of standard size and shape, and while my invention is in no sense limited to the use of manufactured ice, because natural ice can be' cut more or less to. a desiredI shape, I find that in a refrigerator designed to l be charged with a standardized 'cake of Aice whereby small clearance especially at the ends is permitted, and wherein the air circulation is `controlled and directed in a particular way, it is possible not only to maintain a uniform. temperature in the storage compartment several degrees lower than has heretofore been possible but also to attain a substantially flat meltage of the ice. This last feature is extremely desirable not only because it facilitates re-icing but because it permits re-icing ln-such a way as to assure continued eicient operation for indefinitely long periods. k

Various refrigerators have been designed in which the warm air from the storage compartment is conducted across the bottom of the' ice support from one side to the other. In such cases it is obvious that the temperature of the circulating air is highest at the point where it first contacts the ice or metal heat conducting l surfaces inI contact therewith. Hence, thev ice melts fastest at the point where it contacts the air ci:` highest temperature and, if this point is at one only of the bottom edges, the cake soon acquires a tilt or list toward that edge. In order to compensate for this tilting or listing it has been` proposed to vary the area of the heat. transfer euri-aces which the air contacts in passing across the bottom of the ice support; these areas being least at the point where the air enters and greatest in the zones where the air is coolest and is leaving the refrigerating zone. Designs o this 'character are not satisfactory because itis impossible properly to proportion the heat conducting areas to conform toV all oper- 59 ating conditions.

I ind that ene ci the prerequisites to fiat meltage is te create as nearly as possible uniform meltage at oppositely disposed lower portions of the ice cake. if the ice rack is se designed that 55 the ice caire when initially charged, inte the reu (ci. 62-46) l frigerating compartment is supported only at these oppositely disposed edges where equal meltage can be assured, and the rack, between these initial points of support, is inclined downwardly so that, as meltage takes place at the 5 initial supports and the cake is gradually lowered thereon other portions of the bottom of the ice will come progressively into contact with the rack, very excellent results are attained.

To attain equal meltage at the oppositely disl0 posed initial points lof support, the flow of warm air from the storage compartment must be divided into two substantially uniform streams which are first directed against the ice at or near these initial points of support. l5

It is, further desirable that the air flow across the bottom of the ice be confined as closely as possible to the bottom of the ice or to heat conducting suriaces in contact therewith. In other words, the best results are attained by making 20 the air passage or passages across the bottom of the ice reasonably shallow, and so designing them that the surrounding walls are either ice or thin heat conducting metal in contact with the ice.

With these and other objects in view my inven- 25 tion includes the novel elements and the combif nations and arrangements thereof described below and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. l is a fragmentary, transverse,` seotional- 30 elevation of my refrigerator; v i

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing my Vpreferred type of air circulating system;

. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the rack UIIS; 35 Fig. 4 is a fragmentary. plan view of the rack unit shown'in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the center rack unit; Fig. 6 is a side view of the rack unit shown in Fig. 5; and 40 Fig. 'i' is an end view of the unit shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawing my refrigerator comprises the usual heat insulated cabinet i provided with a transverse partition, represented 45 generally at 2, which subdivides the interior of the cabinet into an ice compartment 3 above and a storage compartment d below. It is to be understood that this partition extends from the front te the bacii ci the refrigerator although its ends are spaced somewhat from the sides of the refrigerator to form passages-5 and t for the 11p-now ci warm air irorn the storage compara ment. The partition is downwardly inclined from each side towards a central opening 'i 55 therein provided for the down-flow of chilled air. Merely as an example and without limitation on the scope of my invention, I nd that if the sides of the partition 2 are given a downward pitch of about 1%/2 in 9 inches very satisfactory results are attained.

The interior portion 3 of the partition is of heat insulating material and the top and bottom portions 9 and III are preferably of sheet metal. A low lip I I is provided around the central opening 1 to form a stop for water flowing across the top of the partition and it is understood that the whole partition has a slight slope downward from the front to a drain I2 at the back of the refrigerator.

My ice rack rests directly on top of the partition'2 and comprises a central unit I3. which is substantially horizontal and two side units Il which are substantially identical. The central unit comprises an inverted U-shaped element I3 having the vertical legs I5 and I6 spaced to straddle the central opening 1. These legs are provided with a plurality of spaced openings I1 and with angular collars or projections I3 and I9 for a purpose which will hereafter be described. In order to'prevent condensation on the underneath side of this unit from` droppinginto the storage compartment a drip plate 20 is riveted or otherwise secured thereto. The

edges of the drip plate overhang the partition 2 adjacent the opening 1. The bottoms of legs I5 and I6 are bent outwardly as shown in Figs. 5 and I to provide feet 2| and 22 which may rest directly upon the partition 2 or may be supported slightly above the partition by heavier U-shaped members 23 having legs extending to points 2 4 and 25 somewhat below the feet 2| and 22.

'I'he side elements of my ice rack are substantially identical and comprise sheet metal plates deeply and sharply lcorrugated as shown in Fig 3 to provide ridges 23 and valleys 21 therebetween. These side elements are held rigidly in corrugated form by means of the straps 23 and 23 which are riveted thereto land extend across the bottoms of the element. The bottoms of the valleys are preferably provided with openings 30 of substantial size through which the ice will be exposed to direct contact with the air flowing beneath these portions of the rack.

It is to be understood that my three piece rack may be readily removed' from the ice compartment for purposes of cleaning, and in positioning it in the rack, the central unit is first placed over the opening 1 and the corrugated units are then placed in position. The angular collars I3 and I9 are so shaped as to interiit closely with one of the corrugations in each of the units I4 and thus position the unit so that the air passages formed between the lower side of the unit and the partition are in registration with the opening I1 in the central unit I3. It will be observed that the solid portions 3| between the openings I1 in element I 3 will form closures for the lower ends ofthe-valleys 21.

Runners 32 which may comprise round rods, say V4 inch in diameter, are secured by bending the ends and inserting them in openings in the extreme ridges of the elements I l. near the highest edges thereof when said elementsv are positioned in the refrigerator.. These runners which are very narrow and therefore do n'ot close the -valleys at the top facilitate the re-icing of the refrigerator because the inner bottom edge ofthe ice cake as it is .being placed in the refrigerator is supported thereon out of contact with the coraocaiso ice cake resting thereon. Above the openings 34 ,the air passages or ducts 6 are blocked by deflectors as shown at 35 which serve to deflect the rising air laterally against the bottom side edges of the ice.

Assuming the box to be initially charged with anice cake fitting fairly close to the inside of the partitions`33, the up-flowing warm air is deflected directly against the side 'bf the cake just above the points of support and is chilled and condensed to the extent ,that its gravity is sufIllciently increased to cause it to flow downwardly in the direction of the,arrows shown, through the air passages formed between the elements I4 and the top of partition 2, the openings I1 in the vertical legs of the element I3, and thence downwardly through the central opening in partition 2.

The fiow of warm air thus directed against the lower side portions of the ice cake at andabout its points of initial support causes the ice cake to melt most rapidly at these points and effects an undercutting of the cake, as shown at 4I in Fig. 2, whereupon it will settle down and fill substantially solidly all of the valleys in the elements I 4. When this condition has been attained the air flowing through the passages between the elements I4 and the partition will be chilled very rapidly because the sides of these passages are formed by metal heat-conducting surfaces in contact with the ice. As meltage continues along the now corrugated bottom of the ice the cake settles with'its top substantially level until the undercutting breaks through the top of the cake. Meltage then takes place from the sides inwardly, and when the top of the residual piece has settled below the runners 32 a new cake of ice may be readily slid-into place thereover.

Fig. 1 shows a modification of the design shown in Fig. 2. Here the partitions 3Q do not quite extend to the interior top of therefrigerator so that openings 31 and 33 are provided for the ow of air therethrough. 'I'he bottoms of these partitions are' provided with deflectors 39 and 40 which function similarly to the deflectors 35 shown in Fig. 2. 'I'hat is to say, they deflect the greater portion of the air directly into the passages formed between the elements I4 and the partition 2 and substantially against the edges of the ice where it is supported, although in this case the air doesnot contact the ice directly and the heat transfer takes place through the metal of elements Il.

With this type of ice rack and directed air flow I am able to maintain temperatures in the storage compartment several degrees lower than has been heretofore possible with other designs and, at the same time, I am able to obtain uniform at meltage.

What I claim is:

1. An ice refrigerator comprising a cabinet having a partition therein extending from the front to the back thereof and subdividing the interior of said cabinet into an Ice lcompartment above and a storage compartment below; said wardly inclined from both sides towards said partition being heat insulated and downwardly inclined from both sides towards a central opening provided therein for the downtlow of cold air; an ice rack supported on said partition comprising an inverted, U-shaped, metal, section extending across said central opening in said partition, and sections at either side thereof comprising thin metal formed with a plurality of alternating ridges and valleys therein extending across said partition substantially parallel to the back of said cabinet and forming, with said partition, a plurality of air passages beneath said rack; the sides of said U-shaped section being provided with spaced openings communicating with said passages, and the portions of said U-shaped sections between said openings forming closures for the adjacent ends of said valleys.

2. The method of refrigerating with a block of ice whereby to conne the progressive meltage thereof substantially to the lower portions of said block which comprises initially supporting the ice at oppositely disposed ends only, dividing a ilow of air to be cooled into separate, substantially equal streams and directing said streams sirnultaneously into contact with the opposite ends of said ice at and about the zones of initial support whereby to effect a relatively high ice meltage rate in these zones and thus cause said block to settle so that its central bottom surface is substantially below the level of the original zones of support and also to eiect an initial chilling of said air whereby to increase its density and effect a downward ow of said streams, and thereafter directing said streams towards each other and under said block of ice to a central zone of coniluence while maintaining said flowing streams in high, heat-transfer-relation to the bottom of said ice.

3. An ice refrigerator comprising a cabinet having a partition therein subdividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice compartment above and a storage compartment below and provided with a central opening for the down ilow of cold air from the ice compartment into the storage compartment, means forming ducts at the sides of said refrigerator for the upward iiow of warm air from the storage compartment into the ice compartment, and an ice support comprising two portions formed with a plurality of V-shaped valleys therein and having zones betweensaid valleys cooperating with said partition to form air passages communicating with said central opening and with said ice compartment at the sides thereof; said ducts terminating in lateral openings positioned to discharge air directly against the opposite sides of a block of ice resting on said support and in zones adjacent said support, whereby to effect an undercutting of the ice between said openings and said support and to effect an initial chilling and increase in density of said air to create a downward flow thereof into said air passages.

4. An ice refrigerator comprising a cabinet having a partition therein subdividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice .compartment above and a storage compartment below and provided with a central opening for the down ow of cold air from the ice compartment into the storage compartment; said partition being downopening; means forming ducts at the sides of said refrigerator for the upward ilow of warm air from the storage compartment into the ice compartment, and an ice support comprising two portions formed with a plurality of V-shaped .valleys therein and having zones between said valleys cooperating with said partition to form air passages communicating with said central opening and with said ice compartment at the sides thereof; said ducts terminating in lateral openings positioned to discharge air directly against the opposite sides of a block. of ice resting on said support and in zones adjacent said support, whereby to effect an undercutting of the ice between said openings and said support and to effect an initial chilling and increase in density of said air to create a downward flow thereof into said air passages.'

5. An ice refrigerator comprising a cabinet, a partition therein subdividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice compartment above and a storage compartment below and having a central opening provided therein for the down ilow of cold air, an ice support comprising metal elements having comparatively deep corrugations therein running substantially parallel to the back of said cabinet in closely spaced relation to said a partition and cooperating therewith to form air passages communicating with said central opening and with said ice compartment at the sides thereof, whereby air flowing therethrough will be maintained in high heat-transfer-relation with the bottom of said elements; and means forming air ducts at either end of said partition for the up ilow of two streams of warm air from the storage compartment into the ice compartment; said ducts being arranged to direct the up flowing air streams laterally intov direct contact with a block of ice resting on said support and at and about the zones where the ends of said ice are initially supported thereon; whereby to effect a relatively high ice meltage rate at these points and a consequent settling of the ice, and also to effect an increase in the density of said air whereby it will flowdownwardly and through said air passages to a zone of coniiuence at said opening.

6. In an ice refrigerator the combination with a cabinet having a partitionextendlng from the front tothe back thereof and subdividing the interior of said cabinet into an' ice compartment above and a storage compartment below; said partition being provided with 'a central opening for the down ilow of cold air; of an ice rack supported on said partition and comprising three separate elements whereby it is readily removable from said cabinet; said elements including two similar side elements of thin metal having comparatively deep V-shaped valleys therein extending substantially between the sides of said ice compartment and the central opening in said partition and cooperating with said partition to form air passages therebetween communicating with said central opening and with said ice compartment at the sides thereof, and a central element extending across the space between said side elements and bridging the central opening in said partition.

' HARRY L. MERRILL. 

